Life History Evolution

Provides a timely and authoritative account of Life History Evolution by a multidisciplinary team of scholars and researchers from around the world

Life History Evolution: Traits, Interactions, and Applications presents a cutting-edge synthesis of the mechanisms driving life history strategies that span the breadth of taxa, from bacteria to humans. Integrating classical and contemporary perspectives, this comprehensive volume addresses how organisms evolve traits in response to diverse ecological pressures. Editors Michal Segoli and Eric Wajnberg bring together leading experts to explore the intersection of evolutionary biology, ecology, and applied research, focusing on the evolving complexity of life history traits and their implications.

In-depth yet accessible chapters cover a broad spectrum of life history traits, from classical traits of lifespan and reproduction to more complex interactions like social behaviour, predator-prey dynamics, and human-induced evolutionary processes. The contributing authors explain essential concepts, identify critical knowledge gaps, discuss future research directions, and demonstrate the relevance of life history evolution in addressing climate change, species invasion, pollution, and more.

Providing a well-balanced understanding of life history traits and their implications, Life History Evolution:

• Incorporates recent advances in evolutionary theory, including eco-evolutionary feedback loops and anthropogenic impacts
• Offers diverse perspectives and original research from leading experts in fields such as evolutionary biology, ecology, entomology, zoology, agriculture, and veterinary medicine
• Discusses life history evolution in the context of co-evolved interactions such as predator-prey, parasite-host, plant-herbivore, and endosymbiont-host relationships
• Provides an overview of the foundational theory, recent developments, and current thinking in the field
• Features numerous case studies that highlight real-world applications in biological control, wildlife management, climate change adaptation, and others

Revealing how life history traits shape the evolutionary strategies of organisms, Life History Evolution: Traits, Interactions, and Applications is an essential resource for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers in ecological science. It is an ideal textbook for courses in evolutionary ecology, evolutionary biology, conservation biology, environmental science, and environmental management.

Michal Segoli is an evolutionary and behavioural ecologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, where she teaches courses in life history evolution, evolutionary ecology, and conservation biological control.

Eric Wajnberg is a population biologist affiliated with INRIA and INRAE in France and USP/ESALQ in Brazil. With 40 years of experience, he focuses on population genetics, behavioural ecology, and statistical modeling.